Spider's Web
by Rebunanta
Summary: Naruto is sent to the Soul Eater universe by Kyuubi just before death. Watch as Naruto, the buki professor, teaches Maka and the others at Shibusen while trying not to get drawn in to the fighting. Naruto/Arachne.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Soul Eater, just the concept of Naruto's fate after death.

Chapter 1

Naruto stared blindly into the dark void around him. "So this is the afterlife, eh?" Even his voice fell flat. He closed his unseeing eyes and just enjoyed his rest. No one could deny him that now.

"Did the world finally have peace with my death?"

Flashback:

Madara's bloodied corpse lay silent as Naruto kneeled beside it. He felt around for his ANBU mask and then placed it back on his head. "Well, it's finally over." He fell back to sit beside the corpse of the last Uchiha.

"I guess this is it." He glanced at Madara's corpse. "Was it worth it, in the end?" There was no answer. Naruto could feel death approaching and he welcomed it after so much violence. "I suppose this is it. Everyone else is gone. An entire generation of shinobi and kunoichi, all killed for the sake of peace."

He sank to the ground as his breathing grew labored. "Ero-sensei…I think you'd be proud of me. Your ideals and vision have been realized…." As his heart finally shut down, a red glow began emanating from his chest. The Kyuubi no Kitsune still lived.

"**You damn fool! I won't die like this. Do you hear me, Kami?! I'm not done!"** A strange rip opened beneath Naruto's body and he fell in. Naruto jerked as the rip closed behind him.

Flashback End

Naruto's blind eyes opened when he felt himself crash into the ground. He groaned as he picked himself up and popped his back. "Damn. That _really_ hurt." He felt around the ground and came across sand and rock.

"What the hell? Am I in a desert?" He lightly punched his stomach and the seal. "Damn fox. I was enjoying the afterlife!" He sighed and stood up slowly.

"Well, I might as well figure out what I'm going to do now."

20 Years Later…

The Shinigami flew swiftly across the Nevada desert. He had to begin his search for Arachne before she went underground. A small motion on the ground caught his eye and he slowed himself as he flew lower to the ground. _'A buki?'_

It must be a buki. How else could he explain the strange abilities the man below exhibited? Spikes grew from his feet as he ran barefoot swiftly across the desert floor and his soul was unusually large; comparable to his eight warriors.

Shinigami moved closer and studied the mysterious buki. He wore a black muscle shirt and black pants, but ran barefoot across the hot desert. His face was covered by a black mask with no eyeholes and didn't seem to notice the Reaper approach.

It was only when the Reaper moved to fly even closer to the buki that the man turned and that mask faced the Reaper's skull. "I don't know you, and pardon me, but I don't really have time to speak with you. If you will excuse me."

Shinigami stopped abruptly as the man seemed to sink into the desert sands, his soul wavelength vanishing completely from the Reaper's perception. _'Who was that buki? I don't have the time to investigate him, but I'll send Ashura and Vajura to find out more.'_ The last thing he needed was some unknown buki running around without his knowledge.

The Grim Reaper continued on his original path to find the Heretic Witch, Arachne.

Around 800 Years later…

Naruto ran across the open desert towards Death City. He could sense the Reaper's massive soul wavelength embedded within the city, but he never understand why Shinigami did so in the first place. He shook his head and continued towards the city and his new job.

Meanwhile, at Hook Cemetery:

"Living End!" As the dust settled, Maka stared as Sid lifted his grave once more. _'Sid-sensei used to be a knife meister. How can he fight so well, even without a demon weapon?'_ The zombie stepped forward. _'This…is a three-star meister.'_

Naruto sat back as Sid continued to teach his students even as he fought. Black Star rose again to deliver a solid kick to Sid's solar plexus. '_The boy has skills, but his ego exceeds them.'_ He knew Sid was just toying with the children, but it was still interesting to see their souls in combat. "Stein-kun will have them begging for mercy at this rate." He sank into the ground and began making his way to the Patchwork Laboratory to meet up with Stein. A sudden increase in the soul wavelength of Maka made him pause.

'_Is that Kami-chan's __Witch Hunter? It seems Maka has quite a bit of potential.__'_ Naruto left the two Shibusen pairs to Sid and continued on.

The Death Room:

Kid watch the battle with interest, but noticed his father looking at something besides the Shibusen students. There was a flash of movement behind a cluster of headstones, but he couldn't see anything clearly. "Father, what was that just then?"

The Reaper looked back at his son for a moment. "That was an old acquaintance of mine. He will be teaching here at Shibusen from now on." The Reaper turned his attention to the mirror to watch the Shibusen students' fight. _'Naruto-kun, will you still refuse to fight? Even when there is no other way?'_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Patchwork Laboratories:

Naruto watched as the Shibusen students, with Sid in tow, made their way to the Patchwork Labs. He hid in the shadows of the main building and watched with a smile as Stein rolled his way out on his chair. _'He never changes. Still acts so strange to throw his opponents off guard.'_ He watched as Stein moved back inside, only to roll out and topple over again.

"Then again, he could just be weird." Stein was a large part of this maintenance mission the Reaper had sent the kids on, but Naruto wanted to make a good impression with his future students as well. "Yahoo!" A loud exclamation made Naruto look up to see Black Star standing on the roof. _'When did he get up there?'_ Unknowingly echoing Maka.

Naruto shifted beginning to dig underground to move towards Tsubaki and Sid. No sense in wasting an opportunity to make an appearance. As Tsubaki cried out when Black Star was easily put down by Stein, Naruto rose up silently behind her.

"You're supposed to be an assassin, are you not?" He spoke in her ear and chuckled as everyone turned to stare at him. "Yo." He waved a hand at them.

The Death Room:

Death the Kid stared at the strange figure who managed to sneak up on Tsubaki, a trained ninja demon tool. "Father, is that the one you spoke of?"

"Yes, Kid-kun. Naruto is a very good choice for a professor at Shibusen. He is easily the equivalent of a three-star meister." The Reaper turned to look at his progeny. "In fact, he can match Stein in combat with little difficulty." The two shinigami watched the tableau occurring at the Labs as the students found themselves between two opponents, one of whom just took down Black Star with ease.

"So he isn't a meister, then?" Kid examined the masked man who dodged a quick punch from Tsubaki. "No." He looked back at his father. "Naruto is a buki who I met back during the Grim Times. And before you ask, no, I will not tell you how he is still alive." Kid looked into his father's eyeholes. "Even I am not sure of Naruto's full strength, but he has sworn to never kill again, be they witches or evil humans."

They both watched as the masked buki jumped up to seemingly stand sideways on a wall and look down at the children.

Patchwork Laboratories:

Stein looked up at Naruto with interest. "Naruto-san, I didn't realize you were a part of this." Naruto shook his head at the mad scientist. "I'm not. Just decided to see what you were up to, Stein-kun."

Everyone refocused their attention on Stein when he smirked. "Well, if Naruto-san doesn't mind," he grinned and the Shibusen students shivered slightly. "Shall we start the experiment?" Soul transformed into a scythe and Maka streaked with him towards Stein.

'_She is quick, but she's not really used to fighting such an unsettling opponent.'_ Naruto knew this was a favorite tactic of Stein's. He would keep his enemy off-balance and remain in control of the engagement. With his abilities, it was easy to dodge and repel Maka's swings while knocking Black Star back. "You haven't changed at all, Stein-kun." He called down to his old friend who was taunting Maka.

Stein smiled as he acknowledged the compliment and began speaking again to Maka. "I'd love to dissect you." He grinned as he rolled his chair towards Maka, hand held open. Naruto raised a hidden eyebrow at this. "He's using _that_ against those children?"

Death Room:

Kid was amazed to see Stein force Maka and Soul back with a simple open palm attack. "I don't believe it… Buki have physical attack strength, of course…but moreover, it gets amplified by the wavelength of the meisters' soul to become more formidable. But even so, he managed to knock down his opponent without passing his soul's wavelength through a buki?"

"Yup." They watched as Stein got up from his chair.

Patchwork Labs:

Naruto watched the scythe meister cry out as she ran towards Stein, ignoring her buki's words. A simple open palm was enough to repel her swing and knock her off-balance. As Naruto listened to Stein's sinister words, he noticed the other kid, Black Star, get up and start running towards Stein. _'What would be the point? This one seems to lack common sense.'_

"You're not the only one that can kick ass with just the wavelength of your soul!" Stein looked back at him. "What?!" Naruto was definitely interested in this kid. To be able to strike with just his soul wavelength at his age was very impressive. _'His soul is very large, but Stein-kun has experience on his side.'_

Ignoring Stein's monologue for a moment, Naruto watched Maka closely. She had already given up it seemed and was frightened of Stein's skills. _'She needs to have more confidence. If she falters so easily after being beaten, then she will be of little use against stronger opponents.'_ He studied her carefully. _'If her scythe skills are negated, she has nothing to fall back on. Something to consider for the future.'_

Naruto was drawn out of his inner thoughts by Soul's shouting. _'He is her confidence. He supports her in her weakness while playing upon her strengths.'_ He watched as they began the Resonance of Souls technique all meister/buki partnerships practiced.

'_Although I have never partnered with anyone. I wonder what it truly feels like? To connect your soul with another's.'_ The Reaper had offered to take him on as a buki, once, but he had respectfully declined. He was content to fight on his own terms, without depending on another's strength in battle.

'_And I hope to never see a battlefield again.'_ Naruto glanced down to see Maka and Soul about to perform the Witchhunter against Stein. "I guess I should intervene before Stein actually kills the kids." He muttered as he leaped from his perch on the wall to land in front of Stein.

"Witchhunter!" Naruto crouched down and dug his feet in, then held his left hand outstretched to face the Witchhunter. He pointed his hand straight out, then concentrated. A bright flash of light exploded outward from Stein and Naruto's position, blinding the Shibusen students and Sid.

Death Room:

The Reaper watched his son and two buki leave, then turned his attention to the mirror in time to see Naruto and Stein disappear in a burst of light. As the light faded and the smoke cleared, everyone saw two thin crevasses extend to the side of his new professors. Naruto's hand had transformed into a metallic blade that had divided the Witchhunter right down the middle.

"I see you have improved, Naruto-kun."

Patchwork Labs:

Stein patted Naruto on the shoulder, then moved forward to where Maka had fallen down in exhaustion. "Looks like you're just barely still conscious." He crouched down to watch as Soul transformed back and protected Maka with his body.

"I won't let you lay a finger on my meister!" Stein smiled at that. "Then I'll start with you." He reached out his hand and clapped his hand on Soul's head.

"You get a passing grade." Naruto ignored the rest of their conversations as he quietly slipped away. He had a lesson plan he had to finish and present to the Reaper before his class started. "I have to admit; it was fun knocking those kids around." He unknowingly echoed Stein's comment as he began running back to Shibusen.

The Next Day at Shibusen:

Stein spun around on the classroom floor. "All right, let's start class." He inwardly smiled at the comments from his class. "Today, we'll be doing frog dissections. By the way, after my class, there will be a special course for buki who want to learn more about transforming part of their bodies. I would recommend you drop by visit if nothing else." He twisted the screw in his head around until it clicked.

After Class:

Soul and Tsubaki decided to check out the special course Stein-hakase had mentioned. After seeing off their meisters, the two buki headed out to the balcony their new professor had said was the meeting place.

Soul looked around. "Are we the only ones here? Not cool at all." Tsubaki smiled nervously at the scythe buki but agreed it was odd. They were the only ones on the balcony; no other students were around, not even the professor who was supposed to be teaching the class.

"You two should pay more attention to your surroundings." The two buki jerked as a voice spoke from above their heads. They slowly looked up to face the masked man from the night before. _'It's him!'_ They both thought.

Naruto grinned behind his mask as he hung upside down from the overhang above them. "Hello again. Today I will begin describing the basic transformation of limbs into weapons." He morphed his hands into long blades pointed at their heads.

Neither of the two was sure who had actually said the word, "Help…." But both were thinking it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: To be clear, I'm uploading chapters as if they are episodes in the anime. I'm focusing on Naruto's life in this story, not any of the others. That means I may not be following the episodes word for word and I might skip scenes from the original anime. This **is** fanfiction, after all

That being said, I'm trying to match most conversations word for word, but filling up a page with conversations between characters that do not involve Naruto can be a bit pointless. In other words, you should know about the anime before reading this, or it might seem like I'm cutting large parts out when in truth I'm glossing them over somewhat.

Sorry if these chapters seem a bit short. I'll try to make them at least 1,000 words if possible.

As for a Naruto pairing, I've posted a poll on my profile, so look there for choices. If you wonder why none of the younger characters are listed, it's because Naruto's appearance is between 20-25 years old.

Chapter 3

"Oh, my dear soul-seeing Maka-san?" Maka turned to Stein with a grimace. "Uh, yes?" The fight between Black Star, Soul, and Death the Kid continued in the background, but she focused her attention on her dissection-mad professor.

"I have a special lesson planned for you." "Uh…okay." She watched as Kid fended off Soul's scythe arm with one of his buki. "Now, now, don't be worried. It's a very simple question." Stein was staring intently at the fight.

"Look over there at Kid-kun and his twin pistols as they fight. How are their soul's wavelengths? Synced up perfectly?" Maka closed her eyes and began concentrating on seeing their wavelengths.. Kid was easily beating both of his opponents, whose souls weren't in sync at all.

Stein listened while Maka reported her findings. The three watched as Soul and Black Star regrouped to unleash their great 'power' on Kid. "Stein-hakase, what do you know about Naruto-hakase?" Tsubaki asked.

Stein sweatdropped as Black Star held his hands over his head to stop the blood flow. "Naruto-san is a very old buki. No one knows just how old he is or even what his transformed state looks like, not even Shinigami-sama. I met him when I attended Shibusen years ago." The trio continued to watch Black Star and Soul's antics.

"Naruto-san was meeting with Shinigami-sama, arguing about a gathering of witches in Europe. Apparently, Shinigami-sama didn't want Naruto-san to challenge them. He believed that Naruto-san wasn't strong enough on his own and wanted him to partner up with a meister. At that time, I was the best possible choice and Shinigami-sama had called me to the Death Room to meet Naruto-san."

Stein sighed. "Naruto-san stormed out without a glance in my direction. He left Death City and we learned later that he went on his own to the witch's gathering. He returned a month later and reported that he had consumed a witch soul and the rest were scattered and injured."

The two young students were shocked. "But, Stein-hakase," Maka stammered. "In order for a buki to become a death scythe, he or she must consume 99 kishin eggs and one witch soul. Are you saying that Naruto-hakase is a death scythe?"

Stein shook his head. "No, Maka-san. Naruto-san has not been officially registered as a death scythe, and Shinigami-sama has never wielded him or even seen his transformed buki state. Naruto is a very old friend to the Reaper, though they disagree on certain things. Oh, look! They're finished!"

The three watched as Death the Kid finished off Black Star and Soul, only to collapse a moment later. Stein chuckled at his students' antics, but his thoughts were troubled. _'Why did the Reaper recall Naruto? Is something going to happen?'_

Later that day, in the Death Room:

The Reaper watched as Naruto taught his buki students how to control their transformations more precisely. "He's certainly a good teacher. The problem is, most buki only attain that level of control after consuming a witch's soul."

'_Just how much have you grown, Naruto-kun? Those witch souls you consumed…why would you, one who has sworn to live a life of nonviolence, attack witches, and without backup?'_ The Reaper had read the reports from when Shibusen investigated the incident in Spain. The witches were performing some sort of ritual, but no details remained.

'_Whatever those witches were doing was so offensive to Naruto-kun he momentarily forgot his vow of peace.'_ The Reaper watched as Naruto transformed his fingers into small blades, then his toes.

"I wonder if he would consent to a partnership with a meister. It's been a few years and maybe he's changed his mind."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: For those of you who have wondered what Naruto's buki form is, this is the chapter for you. If you're disappointed with my choice, then I'm sorry.**

**As I stated previously, I am focusing on Naruto, so this chapter basically abbreviates episode 7 of the anime and goes right to episode 8.**

**By the way, I'm surprised no one has asked me about Kyuubi's fate.**

Chapter 4

Maka cringed and held Soul tighter. _'Why didn't I wait? All we had to do was a small extra-curricular assignment. How could this happen?'_ She looked down at her injured buki. _'Soul was injured because of me! It's my fault. I wasn't strong enough!'_ The demon sword meister, Crona, began to swing his sword.

"What happened? My body…!" Crona was shocked to see a silver spike lodged in his stomach. Maka looked up to see the spike pierced through the door and Crona's body. The door cracked and shattered as a smaller set of spikes slammed into Crona's stomach, followed by the rest of Naruto's foot. "Naruto-hakase!"

As Naruto pushed Crona back, Stein walked in and comforted Maka. Naruto ignored Stein and Maka in favor of studying the 'demon sword.' He noticed a bulbous head on an elongated neck stretch out from Crona's body. "I hardened the blood from your wounds and stopped the bleeding! How about some thanks for me?"

"Yeah, thank you." "How about a 'very much'? I'll beat the shit out of you, punk!" Naruto watched as buki bullied meister. He was aware of Stein explaining to Maka about the strange pair and their potential to become a kishin.

Flashback:

The Reaper was standing in his mirror, speaking to Stein. "Go with Naruto-kun and stop the demon sword from becoming a kishin." Stein straightened. "Yes sir. That's the reason why I've been returned to Shibusen." His face hardened. "Leave it to me."

The Reaper's voice was solemn. "We cannot allow the Kishin to be reborn. I'm counting on you and Naruto-kun, Stein-kun." Naruto walked up to stand next to him. "Naruto-kun, will you agree to a partnership with Stein-kun?"

Naruto's mask was expressionless as usual as he looked at Stein. Stein looked back at Naruto's mask. "If you will control yourself, Stein-kun, then I will allow it." His voice lightened. "Let's see if you can even use me correctly."

Stein smiled at his old friend. "I would be honored, Naruto-san."

Flashback End:

"Let's go." At those words, Naruto looked back towards Stein, who was removing his shoes and socks. "Are you ready, Stein-kun? You haven't practiced much with my buki form." He smiled behind his mask. "And your older now."

"Stein frowned for a moment. "You didn't have to say it like that." He moved to stand beside Naruto as the masked buki began glowing silver. His form transformed into a silver liquid that flowed around Stein before settling over his hands and feet. The light faded to reveal Naruto as a true buki.

Stein's hands were covered by silver and black gauntlets that wrapped around his hands and extended to his lower arms. A pair of curved blades extended from Stein's wrists, but Stein flexed his hands and they retracted into the casings along the lower arms. His feet and lower legs were encased in what looked like silver and black greaves that ended in claws that clicked as Stein stepped forward. A set of chains connected the four pieces, meeting across Stein's chest and fusing together.

'_Is that Naruto-hakase's buki form?'_ Maka was in awe and a small part of her mind was jumping for joy at the fact that she was the first to see Naruto's true form. _'The others will be so jealous.'_

Floating in the air above the confrontation:

A blonde figure sat on a broom, watching the spectacle below her. "The strongest of all meisters at Shibusen. But who is the buki?" She searched her mind for a moment in confusion, trying to place the blonde buki. "I wonder how long Crona can last? It'll be a nice experiment…"

Back with Naruto and the others:

Stein flexed his hands and stretched, then moved into a stance. "Naruto-san, you can block that demon blade, can't you?" Naruto's mask appeared on Stein's left gauntlet. "Of course! I'm a pacifist buki who hates fighting."

Stein sweatdropped. "That…doesn't make any sense." Naruto chuckled. "It's only the third time you've wielded me, Stein-kun. Are you sure you don't want me to take him on myself?" Stein laughed. "Don't compare me to how I acted all those years ago. I've grown up."

The demon sword pair had by now finished their squabbling and Crona ran towards Stein. "This is the first time I've seen someone with a screw stuck in their head. I don't know how to deal with you!" Ragnarok responded. "Eat him! Every last bit of him!"

Crona swung at Stein, but the dissection-mad meister lifted his right gauntlet to block Ragnarok. He stared down at Crona, and then pushed the black sword to the side. Crona's balance was thrown off and Stein brought his left hand around to the boy's back while kneeing him in the stomach.

"Soul Force!" Crona slid off Stein's knee and collapsed on the floor, coughing up black blood. He raised his left hand again. "One more!" Naruto noticed something was wrong with their surroundings. "Stein, move!" "What?!"

A long thin spike had formed from the blood Naruto drew from Crona and was embedded in Stein's side. He looked around and saw more droplets floating in the air around him. "Bloody Needle!" Stein quickly jumped back as the droplets stabbed where he had been.

"Stein-hakase!" Maka looked on in fear for her two teachers. Naruto grimaced. "He's using even small droplets of blood as a weapon. Amazing." Stein tensed as more droplets floated around them. "The demon sword was created from excessive harvesting of souls. If we don't stop him now, he will without a doubt become the Kishin."

Naruto was examining their opponent with his own unique vision. "Stein-kun, look at their souls." Stein followed his buki's advice and examined them. "The meister and demon sword...it's like the buki's soul is trying to engulf the meister's soul. He's fighting back for now, but…"

Naruto was more interested in the black snake that was coiled around both meister and buki. "That snake, Stein-kun…" Stein charged towards the demon sword pair as they bickered. He leaped over consecutive Bloody Needles, then began pushing back the demon sword.

Crona was nervous and swung wildly at Stein, who began to overwhelm his opponent and create an opening. Maka stared at the two. _'So this is Stein-hakase's fighting style. He uses Naruto to block the demon sword and keep his opponent off-balance, then attack him directly with…'_ "Soul Force!"

Stein lifted Crona bodily and sent him flying out through the opening Naruto had made. Maka watched as Stein ran headlong after Crona. "Incredible!" Stein jumped past a Bloody Needle only to land directly in front of another wave. "Damn, he delayed it!"

Ragnarok emerged from Crona. "Die, you four-eyed screw-head! Bloody Needle!" Maka screamed. "Hakase!" Blood dripped to the ground as Stein's broken glasses fell from his face. He began grinning. "I'm going to dissect you!" His grin faded when he saw more black blood surrounding him on all sides.

"This is the end, screwshit!" "Naruto-san!" "Ready!" Stein dug his clawed greaves into the stone pavement as Ragnarok's blood droplets swirled around him. As Ragnarok screamed "Bloody Needle!" Stein slammed his gauntlets into the ground. "Soul Shockwave!"

A visible wave of energy created by Naruto's soul wavelength erupted from the ground around him, shielding Stein from the Bloody Needle. Ragnarok was not impressed. "They can't pierce through?" The insane buki looked back at Stein.

"He's gone? Hey, screwshit, where'd you go!? Son of a bitch!" He looked left and right for the Shibusen teacher, then finally looked up to see Stein flip down with a heel drop that disoriented Crona.

"Damn, that's it! Hurry and pull yourself together! If we take another hit from his soul wavelength, we're done for!" Crona wasn't listening. "I can see stars! I don't know how to deal with stars…" Ragnarok began pulling at Crona.

"How to deal with stars? Just do what feels natural, in the moment! Just snap the hell out of it!" Stein took this opportunity to charge in and slam both palms into Crona's body. "Double-Palm Soul Force! Twin Spear!" Crona's body was sent flying again and Ragnarok dissolved into black droplets.

Maka looked out from inside the Basilica. "More needles are coming!" But none did. Black blood fell to the ground and did not rise. "No, it's over." He looked sadly at Crona's limp body. "It's a pity, but I have to finish you off." Neither noticed the shadowy figure silhouetted by the bloody, grinning moon. Crona's hand twitched and both tensed as Crona and Ragnarok began screaming.

Bloody Needles began spiking out from Crona's body randomly. Naruto transformed back to his human form and watched in fascination. Stein stared for a moment, then frowned. "It's a rejection reaction." Maka watched as the demon sword pair flailed around and screamed incoherently.

"The soul's wavelengths, in a single body until now, are going wild…" Suddenly, Stein and Maka jerked their heads up as they sensed a witch's soul wavelength. Naruto glanced over at his temporary meister and student. "She must have been here the entire time, hiding from all of us." To Stein and Maka, who used their Soul Perception, the witch's soul wavelength seemed sinister.

But to Naruto, who only saw soul wavelengths, she seemed almost beautiful. Stein was feeling uneasy. "Her soul…it's overwhelming. That's the witch who put that weapon in this child's body." Maka had never seen a true witch's soul and was terribly frightened. "But how? I couldn't feel any souls this powerful until now!"

Naruto didn't take his blind eyes off the witch. "Soul Protect, an advanced magic usable by witches that conceals their soul wavelength with magic. With it a witch can live an ordinary life as a human." As Maka began to shake and mumble to herself, Naruto continued to watch the witch.

"Crona is far too careless. I'll have to punish him when we get back. Nake, snake, cobra, cobubra…" She began motioning with her hands in a way that alerted Naruto. "Nake, snake, cobra, cobubra…But before that…" her face elongated to look eerily like a snake. "You will be punished as well!"

Her hands extended and black arrow-like shadows began moving forward. "Vector Arrow!" The shadows shot towards Naruto and the others, but the masked buki just leaped up. He extended blades from his hands and feet and began spinning as he met the Vector Arrow.

"Spiraling Claw!" Maka gasped and Stein grinned as Naruto shredded the incoming arrows with ease. Medusa was surprised to see a buki that could fight so well without a meister. Her eyes narrowed at the unknown buki. "Who are you?" Naruto landed lightly on his feet.

"Naruto." Medusa grinned as the snake tattoo on her right arm came to life, slithering down and morphing into a large green snake that picked up Crona in its mouth. "I had some minor business I wanted to take care of here, but I wouldn't have dreamed I'd get to meet Shibusen's strongest meister."

"I'd really like to play with you a bit more, but, I'll have to excuse myself here, for today." Her eyes met Naruto's mask. "As for you, Naruto. I'll definitely play with you again." The blonde witch streaked off with Crona.

Stein moved over to see how Soul was faring, but Naruto gazed out to where Medusa had disappeared.

Back in Death City, Death Room:

"I see. How's Soul doing, then?" The Reaper looked out at Naruto from his mirror. "Stein is still operating, but I think he'll be fine." The Reaper paused for a moment, collecting his thought. "So the demon sword and its meister, formed into one body…A witch was behind them, yes?" They both sighed at that.

The Reaper suddenly held up his hands as if to say, 'what can I do?' "This is all a big pain in the neck, wouldn't you say?" Spirit, the current Deathscythe stepped up next to Naruto. "You may be taking this a bit lightly, Shinigami-sama." The Reaper shrugged. "Oh, really?"

Later that evening in Naruto's classroom (middle balcony):

Naruto stared vacantly into the city. His thoughts were muddled and he felt a headache coming on. _'Why can't I stop thinking about that witch?'_ He took his mask off and rubbed his forehead. "I'll go to the Dispensary for some headache medicine. Maybe then I can concentrate on tomorrow's lesson."

He went back inside and walked down the halls to the Dispensary. Soul was resting peacefully after his surgery, and Maka had fallen asleep in the bed next to him. Naruto looked around for a moment, but didn't see the nurse.

"Can I help you?" _'Damn it!' _Sometimes, Naruto hated not being able to see like others. Seeing soul wavelengths didn't help with ordinary humans like the nurse. '_That or I'm just really tired.'_ Naruto turned around to see Shibusen's nurse.

Naruto hadn't been down to the Dispensary since his arrival, so he hadn't introduced himself before now. He held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Naruto." The woman grasped his hand firmly and shook it. "My name is Medusa. I'm surprised to see you here, Naruto-hakase. The other teachers have mentioned you, but you've never come to see me."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Sorry about that. I just came down to get some headache medicine before I left for the day." Medusa chuckled as she moved to the medicine cabinet and selected a pill bottle. "This should help with your headaches."

Naruto smiled at her. "Thank you. I'll be sure to come by and visit more often." He walked out the door and Medusa waved as he walked down the hall. As he turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Medusa smirked. "I think we will be seeing each other more often, Naruto-kun." Her face elongated to mimic a snake. "I definitely want to play with you some more."

**A/N: I haven't decided on Naruto's pairing yet, despite the final content of this chapter. This is part of the plot and if Medusa doesn't win the poll, then this will be used as different plot device and not something to accelerate a romantic subplot.**

**Here are the current poll results:**

**Marie: 6**

**Medusa: 4**

**Arachne: 3**

**No Pairing: 2**

**Other Pairings: 0. No one has PMed me about a different romantic interest for Naruto.**

**I thought it might be a close match between Marie and Medusa, but there's still time for voters to surprise me. I will keep the poll open for maybe two more chapters.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Soul Eater walked out of the Dispensary. "See you later, Medusa-sensei." He continued through Shibusen's halls until he reached the main entrance. Naruto was waiting for him. "Glad to see Medusa-sensei's letting you go."

Soul grinned up at his buki teacher. "Sorry I missed seeing your true form. Maka told me it was pretty cool." Naruto smiled through his mask. "I'm just sorry we couldn't get to you guys in time."

Soul waved it off. "S'okay, Naruto-hakase. Just don't make me retake that test I missed while recovering." Naruto nodded. "Alright, but I expect you and Tsubaki at our normal meetings from now on. The big exam is coming up and I won't go easy on you, so get ready."

"Not cool, hakase. Tsubaki and I come to your special class and get assigned homework on top of Stein-hakase's stuff. How can we study for two exams and still expect to pass?" Naruto just chuckled.

"Neither of you have disappointed me so far, Soul-kun. Besides, my exam is a bit more physical compared to Stein-kun's." Soul began sweating and backed away from his blade-crazed teacher. "Well, I gotta go. Maka and the others are probably waiting for me back at our place. See you later, hakase!"

Naruto watched Soul run as fast as he could down the steps and into Death City. He removed his mask and sighed. "It's so much fun teasing them. Now I just need to figure out how to grade my two students."

Naruto was startled when a hand touches his shoulder. "Is something wrong, Naruto-hakase?" "Medusa-sensei. I didn't hear you approach." The blonde nurse smiled and studied Naruto's unmasked face for a moment.

"You know, this is the second time I've seen you without your mask, Naruto-hakase. There are rumors floating around Shibusen that you're face is disfigured or horribly ugly. I'm glad to see those rumors aren't true."

Indeed they were not true. Naruto's skin was tan, despite hardly ever removing his mask. Medusa noticed how his closed eyes and smiling grin, combined with strange scars on his cheeks, gave the appearance of a fox. _'Something about him interests me. Does he exude an aura of insanity like Stein does sometimes? No…the madness is buried deep within his soul wavelength. I can barely detect it…but it's there.'_

Naruto was massaging his forehead again. Damn headaches. "I had wished for more buki to join my special class, but only Soul and Tsubaki showed up after the first few days. Apparently, greeting your students by dropping from the ceiling and holding blades to their necks turns away most students. Tsubaki and Soul are made of sterner stuff."

Medusa smiled at this, but quickly frowned when he grimaced in pain. "Are your headaches returning, Naruto-hakase?" Naruto nodded. "I guess the pills you gave me aren't enough." _'Or more likely, Stein's brief moment of madness has awakened my old friend's 'gift'.'_ He focused his attention on Medusa.

"Don't worry about it. I'll come by tomorrow and you can poke and prod me with your instruments to your heart's content." The nurse looked unsure for a moment, then nodded. "I'll hold you to that. Well, I will see you tomorrow then." She walked down the steps as Naruto continued to massage his forehead. _'Whatever the cause for it, a subtle madness is growing in Naruto-kun. I wonder what it would take to force it out completely.'_ She smiled as she continued on into the city.

Later on in Soul and Maka's apartment:

Maka stood up abruptly. "A witch soul…two of them…in the city?" The others watched on as Maka ran out the door.

Outside of Soul and Maka's apartment:

Medusa pulled her nurse coat over her shoulders to cover her snake tattoo. She heard footsteps approaching _'So they're here. That was quick. Stein. Maka. And-'_ "Naruto?" The masked buki had jumped down from the rooftop to land beside her. "Medusa-sensei."

Maka ran up, but had to catch her breath. Stein followed closely. "There were two witches' soul readings around here." Medusa straightened. "Yes. I felt them too, so I tried to run them down." Maka looked up at the blonde nurse. "Could it be the same witch that hurt Soul?"

Naruto looked over at the girl. "No, they weren't the same soul wavelengths. Besides, that witch had the demon sword and its meister with her. She wouldn't bother to release her Soul Protect so deep in the city."

Stein nodded. "It's certain that witch has some kind of interest in meisters and buki, so wouldn't she be hiding herself quietly while conducting her investigation?" He paused for a moment. "If she were really here, that is."

Naruto had been searching for the two witches but couldn't sense them anywhere. "Maybe they came to put pressure on Shibusen, appearing in the city like this." He looked closely at Medusa. "I'm glad you're not hurt, Medusa-sensei. Who would help me with my headaches if our school nurse was injured?"

Medusa laughed lightly while Naruto scratched the back of his head. He crouched down and sprung up to latch onto the alley wall with his feet. He looked down at the others. "I'll see you all tomorrow then. I'll report to the Reaper about this little incident for you."

He waved down at the three. "Maka-chan, Stein-kun, Medusa-sensei." He leapt up onto the roof and disappeared from view. Stein shook his head. "Naruto-san should learn to just walk like normal people."

Later that evening in the Death Room:

"So you're sure neither soul wavelength matched the one you fought in Italy?" The Reaper shook his head. "We still need more information on her." Naruto moved to leave the Reaper to his thoughts when the Shinigami put out a hand.

"Naruto-kun. How do you feel about all this?" Naruto was silent for a moment and placed his hand over his stomach. "The witch in Italy…her soul wavelength was unusually large. To my eyes, it seemed almost magnificent. It called to me."

The Reaper looked at Naruto as he took off his mask and massaged between his eyes. "The gift Kyuubi left in me has been awakened again. I thought I had control of it after the incident in Europe years ago." The Reaper sighed.

"The witches' actions were atrocious, even by their standards. It reminded me of Arachne's heresy. I'm not surprised by how you acted, but the important thing is that you can control the madness." Now it was Naruto's turn to sigh.

"I'm not sure I can anymore. It's growing harder to contain. I don't have any real options other than to refrain from fighting, but with the situation as it is, that isn't possible." The Reaper looked on as Naruto's hands shook.

'_Maybe Marie-chan's presence is needed. She could help calm Naruto-kun's mind and help him to bear his burden without faltering. If I could, I wouldn't force him to fight, but his effects on Stein are noticeable.'_

Not giving voice to his thoughts, the Reaper put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "When you first came here, you had nothing of your own. You told me how your eyes were blinded in battle in your world, but you persevered and learned to master the 'gift' Kyuubi left you." Naruto froze as the memories replayed in his mind.

'_Kyuubi's chakra and mine were bound together and when the demon sent me here, the backlash damaged my chakra pathways permanently. The mutation, or gift, from the damn fox was the ability to transform into a buki, as well as an unnatural long life and a weakness to insanity.'_ He still wasn't sure if the trade-off was worth it.

"When I arrived, Kyuubi had mutated my body and turned me into a buki, but it wasn't until I came to Shibusen years later that you taught me about this world. If it wasn't for you, Shinigami-sama, I would still be living out in the desert somewhere." Naruto bowed to the Reaper.

"I may not be a death scythe, but if the offer still stands, I will gladly allow you to wield me as my meister."

**A/N: Okay, for those of you who desperately wanted to know some of Naruto's history as a buki, this chapter is for you.**

**And for those of you who want a Naruto/Marie pairing, this could set the stage for it. If you want a Naruto/Medusa pairing, then I'll keep shifting the storyline to encourage that. If you want a Naruto/Arachne pairing, then you'll have to wait as she isn't even mentioned yet and won't be for a few chapters, but I would deliver.**

**The current poll results:**

**Medusa: 10. Medusa's in the lead!**

**Arachne: 9. Will Naruto be a fly in the spider's web?**

**Marie: 8. Wow, big difference from the last time.**

**No pairing: 2. Some people just don't want romance in this story.**

**Other pairings: 1, but no one has PMed me about it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Naruto chuckled as he watched Sid hang Black Star to the blackboard in his class._ 'No one tried to sneak my exam answer key last night. Why is that?'_ He wrote a note on the board for Soul and Tsubaki, then walked out of the room, waving to Sid on his way out.

Soul and Tsubaki looked at the note their teacher had written. **Soul and Tsubaki. Meet me outside in the forest for your exam. Don't be late or else.** Both shivered unconsciously as they read that last statement.

In the forest outside Shibusen:

After the exam, Soul and Tsubaki headed out to where Naruto said was the exam. As the two buki walked along the path, Soul's body suddenly sank into the ground until only his head was visible. Their crazy teacher jumped out of the dirt behind Tsubaki and placed his transformed hand against her neck.

He raised his other hand so Tsubaki could see it. He held a single brass bell on a string. "This is the practical exam. You have to find me and take this bell from me before three hours have passed, or you both fail. Whoever gets the bell passes, but if you don't have a bell by the end of the exam, you fail and get to go to a remedial class with Stein-kun."

Naruto took his blade away from the ninja buki and sank into the ground while the students exchanged glanced and thought of their other crazy teacher. At least Naruto didn't have dissection labs every day. Soul began struggling to escape his dirt prison and Tsubaki let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Meanwhile, Naruto had emerged from the ground and climbed up into a tree overlooking his students. _'This brings back memories.'_ A certain image from long ago had him shuddering. _'I'm not cruel enough to perform a 1,000 years of pain on either of them. Besides, I'd probably get sued.'_

Shibusen, Death Room:

A blonde woman stood next to the Reaper and watched Naruto flip over Soul's scythe arm and dive underground to avoid Tsubaki's kusarigama. She changed her hand and wrist back and moved back to back with Soul, looking for where Naruto would jump out of the ground.

She shook her head. "His methods are unusual, to say the least. However, I don't see why you called me here. He looks fine." The Reaper sighed. "Marie-chan, I wouldn't have called you here if there wasn't a need. Naruto-kun's ability to see and interact with soul wavelengths is the only way he can view the world around him. His mental state is very fragile right now."

"At the moment, we are investigating a strange witch who is studying meisters and buki, and has created a demon sword and meister pair that feast on souls, good and evil. Naruto-kun and Stein-kun fought briefly with her in Italy, and Naruto-kun was affected by her immense soul wavelength."

Seeing that Marie still didn't fully understand, Shinigami tried to explain. "Naruto-kun is affected by the wavelengths around him; he is very sensitive to the subtle fluctuations of other wavelengths and his wavelength tries to connect with theirs. In a way, it is like a constant low-level soul resonance that affects Naruto-kun on the mental level."

Marie was uncomfortable with the possibilities. "In other words, while Naruto-san is surrounded by the peaceful, orderly wavelengths of Shibusen and Death City, his mental state is calm and without conflict." The Reaper nodded.

"Correct, but if he goes into battle against chaotic souls-" "His own wavelength begins to go mad as well!" Marie was shocked as she watched Naruto spin around in mid-air to dissipate Tsubaki's smoke bomb and send Soul flying away at the same time.

"I understand why you recalled me. If Naruto-san were to come in contact with that witch again, or any large soul not governed by Shibusen's laws, then he could fall into madness." Marie almost pitied the masked buki. He was the toy of fate; if he went into battle, there was a good chance he may go mad, but if he refused to fight, then others might suffer for it.

"You know, Marie-chan. Naruto-kun is aware of his situation. He just chooses to ignore it."

Back in the forest:

Naruto blocked Soul's scythe arm while deflecting Tsubaki's chain. "You have to do better!" They had quickly realized that by working as a team, they would have a better chance of getting the bell. Unfortunately, realizing it wasn't enough.

Naruto was simply too experienced and cunning. His former life as a ninja paid off in keeping him flexible, and with only the two of them, Naruto was easily fending off their attacks. Tsubaki looked over at her partner.

Soul had continued to charge straight in and try to either take the bell or severely injure their teacher. "You can't block me forever, hakase! I'm too cool for that!" Naruto just shook his head. "Being cool and keeping a cool head are two different things, Soul-kun. You should learn the difference."

Tsubaki stood back and analyzed the situation. Soul was keeping Naruto busy, but he couldn't occupy him forever. Tsubaki's own abilities were limited without her meister, but their teacher didn't seem to have that weakness.

A sudden flash of inspiration hit her, but it was followed by doubt. _'It can't be that easy.'_ She had no other option, and the time limit was almost up. Soul and she were bruised and exhausted, while their demented teacher didn't even look winded.

Tsubaki became aware of Soul being thrown against the tree next to her. "Soul!" She looked back at Naruto. He just stood there, waiting to see what she would do. "Here goes nothing." She muttered and began walking up to Naruto.

Naruto tilted his head as Tsubaki walked up to stand in front of him. "Naruto-hakase?" She asked. "Yes?" She sighed, then stood straight. "May I have the bell please?" Naruto chuckled and pulled the bell from his belt loop and handed it to her. "All you had to do was ask."

Soul had recovered from kissing the tree and rushed up to Naruto. "That's it!? We fought you for 2½ hours and all we had to do was ask!? Why bother with this in the first place?" Naruto smiled and kicked out with his left foot, but Soul blocked it instantly.

"That's why." At their confused looks, Naruto sat down for a moment. "There was no actual exam. Only Stein-kun's class had an exam today. I wanted to test you both to show you how far you've come. You have fought me for 2½ hours straight without pause and used tactics I haven't seen your meisters use. You knew almost from the start that the test required teamwork, but when you found yourselves lacking, you didn't give up. You both fought together and showed me how much you've grown as buki."

He stood back up and put his hands on their heads. "The next time you practice with your meisters, show them that same strength and willpower you showed me. At the rate you two are going, you'll become Deathscythes before you know it."

**A/N: I decided to allow voters to see the results for the poll anytime instead of waiting for my updates.**

**For those of you who are wondering, I'll keep the poll up until chapter 9.**

**Here's the poll count so far:**

**Arachne: 30. Man, I am surprised. I guess a lot of you like black-widow spiders.**

**Medusa: 12. Medusa has moved to second. Will Naruto avoid being bitten by the snake after all?**

**Marie: 10. Little Marie is falling behind. Are some of you Stein/Marie fans keeping the blonde Deathscythe safe from Naruto?**

**No pairing: 2. Not much has changed here.**

**Other pairing: 1. I guess these three are the main options so far.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Naruto walked up to stand before the Reaper. A blonde woman with the soul wavelength of a buki stood next to him. "You wanted to see me?" The Reaper nodded. "Naruto-kun, I know things have been difficult for you since returning to Shibusen, and I'm sorry for that. I feel I must apologize for what I must do."

Naruto tilted his head. "What do you mean, sir?" A sharp pain began building in his head. The woman moved forward and stuck out her hand. "My name is Marie, and from now on I will be living with you." Naruto was glad his mask covered his face, otherwise Shinigami and Marie would have seen his shocked face. He took her hand carefully. "Nice to meet you, Marie-san. I'm sure Shinigami-sama has already told you about me."

The moment her hand and his made contact, the headache that was a constant companion vanished, leaving behind a soothing sensation. _'I see. Her wavelength is so pure, so calm.'_ This was why the Reaper had done this.

He shook his head. "Shinigami-sama, I understand. There is no need to apologize. If anything, I should be apologizing to you and Marie-san for having to go to all this trouble. If it weren't for my…condition…this would be unnecessary."

Later:

Naruto opened the door and allowed Marie to proceed ahead of him. His apartment was built for meister/buki pairs, but he had no permanent meister and Stein lived in Patch Laboratory.

Marie sat down on the couch in the main room and watched as Naruto closed the door behind him, then moved to the kitchen. He poured them both glasses of water, then gave one to Marie. "Thank you." He sat down in a chair and removed his mask to take a sip of water.

He sighed. "I want to again say how sorry I am about all this. Circumstances being what they are, I can't function as a member of society right now. I'll try to make your stay here as pleasant as possible until the current situation is resolved."

Marie was puzzled by this. "Resolved? What do you mean?" Naruto smiled painfully. "I mean that when the witch has been killed, my presence here in the city will be unnecessary. Shinigami-sama and I agree that in my current state I am unfit to teach at Shibusen. My constant resonance could infect the students and lead them to madness."

His lifeless grin changed to a smirk. "After this has all been dealt with, I will return to the wilderness until Shinigami-sama calls for me." Marie didn't know what to say. If what he said was true, then Marie could return to Oceania as soon as the witch was taken care of.

Naruto stood up and moved to one of the bedroom doors. "Your belongings have already been placed here by Shibusen. I will see you tomorrow morning." With that abrupt farewell, Naruto went through his door and closed it behind him.

Marie sat back and pondered the recent events. The Reaper had called her to watch over Naruto and try to protect him from malevolent wavelengths, but if Naruto was forced into combat without her, the insanity would overwhelm him.

His constant resonance requires either a multitude of wavelengths to stabilize him, or a complete lack of wavelengths so he wouldn't be influenced at all. During peaceful times this wouldn't be a problem, but with the witch interfering, Naruto had no real defense.

In essence, Shinigami had asked Marie to be that stabilizing influence on him. If Naruto were to constantly draw from her unique wavelength, then the madness that could easily engulf him would be held back. She would have to be at his side constantly for his safety.

2 Weeks later:

Marie could in all honesty say she enjoyed Naruto's company. If took some time to break through his shell, but when she did, she found a kind, gentle soul who fought with passion against his enemies. They had been sent on a few missions to deal with witch sightings around the globe, but Naruto remained sane.

The soul wavelength Marie possessed seemed to relax Naruto, while his experienced outlook helped to curb some of her own innate naiveté. Naruto's skills as a buki were amazing, especially considering his lack of a meister partner. Sometimes, Stein or Sid joined them, but usually it was just the two buki.

For his part, Naruto rather enjoyed being at ease. While he enjoyed teaching Soul and Tsubaki, he knew that without Marie's presence, his mental stability would waver. They had no more sightings of the witch from Italy, but every once in a while, his headaches would return and he knew the witch was somewhere in the area.

When he shared his thoughts with Stein and Shinigami, they informed him of their suspicions. Though shocked at first, Naruto quickly realized that their suspicions weren't unfounded; Medusa, Shibusen's nurse, was more than likely the witch.

Sid and his buki Nygus had left to explore Medusa's lab. In his absence, Naruto and Marie had been keeping an eye on Shibusen. Naruto could feel it: something was about to happen. The Reaper had informed him of Asura being sealed beneath Shibusen.

Naruto had met Asura briefly in the past. The meister had put him on edge even back then. Naruto didn't know what he would do if the old demon were to be released; Marie would be hard pressed to block him from the madness Asura exuded.

Without her, Naruto wasn't sure he could remain in control of himself when fighting. He shuddered inwardly when he thought of what Asura's soul wavelength would do to his fragile hold on reality.

Marie looked worriedly at her friend. She knew the pressure was getting to him, but the latest revelation of Asura's location had shaken him. If the witch, presumably Medusa, were to release Asura, Naruto might not survive.

Marie promised herself she wouldn't fail him; she had grown fond of Naruto, though not in the way she felt for Stein. If it was in her power, she would stop him from falling into madness.

**A/N: Alright, here's the deal. As it stands, Arachne is in the lead with over 50% of the votes, so I'm cutting this poll short. The pairing is ****Arachne/Naruto****.**

**In deference to those of you who voted for Marie or Medusa, I have good news. I intend to write versions of my Naruto-hakase with Medusa/Naruto, Marie/Naruto, and even Kami/Naruto. For those of you who don't know, Kami is Maka's mother.**

**If you aren't happy with this, then I'm sorry.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Shibusen:

Naruto sighed as he stood on his usual balcony overlooking the city. He thought about the events of the past few days and just where his life was headed.

Although Marie's presence in his life was a blessing, he knew something was about to happen. The celebration honoring the creation of Shibusen was in full swing, but something didn't sit right with him.

'_If anything were to happen, it would be tonight.'_ The Reaper had left his mirror, all the buki and meisters were gathered together in a single dance hall, and Sid was still missing. Medusa's attendance had been noted, and Naruto knew Stein would try to trick her into revealing her plans.

"Naruto-kun!" Marie walked out to him, a plate of food in each hand. "Your students are looking for you, you know." When he didn't even look her way, the blonde Deathscythe put his plate on the balcony rail.

"Is something bothering you, Naruto-kun?" Naruto finally looked at his best friend. "I'm not sure. I just have a weird feeling about tonight." Marie's face looked pensive. "Should I get Shinigami-sama?"

The masked buki shook his head. "No, I'm alright. You go dance with Stein-kun. I'll enjoy the night air for-" "Sid-sensei!" The two buki turned to see their friend Sid battered and bleeding near the door.

The two rushed over to where Maka, Black Star, Stein, and Death the Kid had gathered around the zombie teacher. "It's a trap. They've been waiting for the day Shinigami-sama comes out of the mirror and everyone at Shibusen is gathered together!"

"MEDUSA!" Naruto shouted and ran after the witch. Just as he ran through the opening to the balcony she disappeared from, a green barrier appeared, covering the walls, the doors, and the entrances to the balconies.

Naruto looked back at through the barrier. "Marie!" She raced over to the barrier. Sid initiated a soul resonance as the others looked around wildly. "Marie-chan, protect the others while I'm gone." She nodded.

"You and Stein try to figure out how to destroy the barrier. I'll stop Medusa." He leaped out and latched onto the tower exterior. Using both his hands and feet, Naruto scaled the walls until he was out of sight of Medusa and her accomplices. "I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed, this morning…" He muttered.

Making sure he wasn't seen, Naruto slammed his hand into the tower wall. Repeating his actions, Naruto finally broke through and began widening the hole. _'I have to get to the underground tunnels before Medusa!'_

Later in the catacombs beneath Shibusen:

Maka, Black Star, Death the Kid, and their buki partners stared down the hallway. Footsteps could be heard but none of them could see who was approaching them. As the sounds got closer, a dim shape could be seen in the shadows. Maka gasped at seeing the witch from Italy.

The blonde witch removed her hood and smiled at the children. "Hello, Maka-chan." Maka stared as she saw Medusa, the Shibusen nurse, attired as a witch. "Medusa-sensei!? You're the witch?" Said witch nodded.

"I see I only have children to play with. This will be too easy." "Not quite!" Everyone turned to see Naruto drop from the ceiling in front of Medusa, hand already transformed into a blade aimed at her throat. "Students, hurry! You must stop the others from awakening the Kishin at all cost!"

Medusa frowned at the blade pointed at her neck. "Naruto-kun. I didn't think you would be joining us. How did you escape the barrier?" He smirked at the witch. "You don't know much about me, do you? I wasn't even in the barrier to begin with."

Maka and the others began running past him, but Medusa wasn't about to let that happen. "Vector Arrow-Times 3!" A storm of Vector Arrows flew at the Shibusen students and their former teacher.

Death the Kid flew up into the air on Beelzebub and skimmed along the Vector Arrows, while Black Star went into Fey Blade Mode and pierced through his share of Vector Arrows. Maka was the slowest and almost didn't make it past Medusa, but as she made a controlled tumble, Medusa turned to deliver another round of Vector Arrows.

"Don't turn your back on me, Medusa!" Naruto had rushed forward while Medusa was distracted and delivered a solid kick that pushed her back. She stared at the small wounds on her arms. _'If I hadn't blocked that kick….'_

She straightened. "I guess I had better pay attention when I'm dealing with you." Naruto just grinned behind his mask. "Now is not the time for words." He leaped into the air, spinning around to try and rip Medusa to shreds. "Spiraling Claw!"

The snake witch jumped back at the last second, then sent a wave of Vector Arrows into the dust cloud created from Naruto's impact. "You're too obvious, Naruto-kun. Trying to fight me like that will only tire you out."

As the dust settled, Medusa frowned when she discovered nothing in the crater left from Naruto's attack. "Up here!" Her head shot up to see Naruto clinging to the ceiling. He fell forward, flipping over and over as he grew closer.

"Vector Plate!" Medusa's body shot forward, while Naruto essentially axe-kicked the ground, leaving a deep hole where a long spike and grown from his heel. "You can't dodge me forever, witch!"

Medusa laughed. "I'm impressed you've managed to stay in control without Marie-san here." Naruto tensed. "What do you know about it?" She smiled. "I was the nurse, remember? I had access to your medical files; I know why Marie-san was recalled to Shibusen. Vector Plate!"

Naruto prepared himself as Medusa formed a Vector Plate underneath her body and shot forward. Right when he was about to stab her, she spoke again. "Vector Plate!" Faster than he could react Medusa had formed an array of Vector Plates that allowed her to dodge his attack and deliver a solid kick to his skull.

As Naruto flew through the air he saw Medusa running at him. He dug his hand into the ground and pivoted, twisting around to slam both feet into Medusa. Just before his feet connected, Medusa paused and raised her hands in the air.

"Vector Storm!" A wave of dark magic rose from the ground to spiral around Medusa's form, knocking him away. He landed on the far wall and latched on. "Naruto-kun, who are you, really?"

Medusa looked genuinely puzzled. "You appear with Stein in Italy, then teach a special course here at Shibusen, but despite my best efforts, I know next to nothing about your background, your personal history. All I have are medical records detailing your 'condition' and ability to sense soul wavelengths."

"You are a mystery to me, Naruto-kun. And I want…need to understand you. You intrigue me, confound my best efforts, and interfere with my plans whenever you see fit."

Naruto just let the witch talk as he tried to come up with a strategy. _'Every time I try something new, she counters it. At this rate, I won't last.'_ He was essentially unharmed, physically. But this place, it manipulated him, twisted his wavelength.

The madness of the Kishin permeated the halls. And if that wasn't enough, Medusa's own soul wavelength ate away at his sanity. _'I can control it for now, but if this becomes a battle of attrition, I'll give in to the madness before I can finish her off.'_

Naruto jumped down, intending to attack her with another Spiraling Claw, but Medusa raised her arms and unleashed a Vector Arrow, forcing him to stall in midair and rip through her attack. He landed in a crouch at a safe distance.

Medusa smiled again. "Vector Plate." A ring of Vector Plates circled Naruto and Medusa, forcing both of them into a small combat ring. "There is no escape, Naruto-kun."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

In the catacombs beneath Shibusen:

Naruto stared at Medusa. The Vector Plates surrounding them limited his movement and hampered his fighting ability. "Hey, Medusa. Mind getting rid of the Vector Plates? I promise I won't run."

Medusa chuckled. "I've seen how you fight, Naruto-kun. No, they stay in place." She watched as he extended a spike from his hand. "Oh, trying this again?"

The masked buki shook his head. "Not quite." He leaped forward with the spike pointed at Medusa's heart. The witch twisted sideways to avoid it, but Naruto pivoted on his other hand and tried for a sideways kick.

"Vector Plate!" Her body shot away and Naruto was off-balance from his missed kick. Medusa pointed at him. "Vector Arrow!" As a large Vector Arrow shot forward, Naruto decided to try something new.

"Piercing Lance!" His hand spike extended forward to meet the Vector Arrow head on. The spear divided the attack and Naruto retracted his spike. Medusa looked on in interest.

"I didn't know you could do that, Naruto-kun. Vector Plate." As the magic sent her straight to Naruto, she wrapped Vector Arrows around her arms. "Here I come!"

As Medusa approached, Naruto sprang up to latch onto the ceiling. He pushed off and landed directly on her back. Medusa coughed up blood as Naruto embedded her in the stone floor. He flipped off her prone body and grimaced as a sudden pain lanced through his head.

Medusa picked herself out of the crater. "Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" She licked the blood from around her mouth. "I thought you wanted to play with me." She tilted her head. "It seems Maka-chan is fighting Crona. She's going to die."

Naruto concentrated. Far ahead, the demon sword meister was clashing with Maka and Soul. A sudden burst in Maka's soul wavelength caught his attention. "Soul Resonance…" Maka and Soul knew the consequences of resonating with the black blood infecting Soul's body.

Naruto only hope his former students could hold on to their sanity. A whistling noise alerted him and he jerked his head back. A sharp cracking noise was heard as his mask was shattered by Medusa's Vector Arrow. _'I need to pay more attention.'_

Naruto's blind eyes met Medusa's. "I guess I can't afford to play with you, anymore." The snake witch just laughed. "Play with me? Oh no, Naruto-kun, I'm the one playing with _you_." She shook her head.

"After Crona's failure, I knew I had to resurrect the original Kishin. I thought Stein-kun would be here, but your presence was unforeseen. Once again, you act as the unknown element." A sudden change in Maka's soul wavelength made Naruto begin sweating.

'_The black blood…it's circulating.'_ Now even Maka and Soul became part of the madness pressing against his soul. _'I have to end this soon!'_

"My research on the black blood is complete. All that remains is to inject it into the Kishin. Nothing you do will change that. My plan is a success."

"And Crona? What will you do with him, seeing as how your experiment was a failure?" Medusa shrugged. "I don't expect you to understand my reasoning. My child is damaged goods. Why? Do you want him?"

Naruto had frozen at her words. _'Her…child? Crona is this snake's child?'_ Medusa noticed him shaking. "Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" His head rose and Medusa almost took a step back. She could finally see his soul.

One of the many mysteries surrounding Naruto was the fact that no one had actually seen his soul. Medusa could easily perceive the strength of a person's soul wavelength such as Maka Albarn's or Black Star's, but Naruto's soul had remained hidden every time she tried to examine him.

Now, Medusa could see it: Naruto's soul appeared as a silver sphere with spikes that randomly arose from its surface. A crimson spiral pattern twisted around the sphere, but didn't actually touch it.

Every once in a while, patterns would appear on the sphere's surface, only to fade away suddenly. The patterns shifted from arrows to sets of three vertical eyes to fox heads, but none ever remained in place for long.

His soul wavelength was massive, easily matching her own. Medusa cleared her mind and let her Soul Perception fade. At that moment, something happened which she did not expect. "It seems Crona has lost."

Naruto smiled. "Maka-chan has a kind heart; she has calmed the demon sword as well as herself." That was definitely good news. He watched as Medusa smiled back at him. "Crona may have failed, but your other students were easily tricked."

'_Damn it. She's right.'_ Black Star and Kid were too far behind Medusa's partners. _'They might make it in time, but it'll be close.'_ Medusa twirled around. "Can you feel it, Naruto-kun? The Kishin's madness is overflowing."

Naruto crouched down and dug his hands and feet into the stone. "That's enough, snake." The witch let her weight rest on her tail and sat there in the air, waiting for him. "Come on then, Naruto-kun."

The blind buki charged at the snake witch, loping along on all fours. Medusa noticed small holes in the stone where his hands and feet dug in. "What?" She watched as Naruto seemed to make abrupt turns without losing his balance or speed.

'_I see. He latches on to the stone with his claws and uses them to make sharp changes in direction. Doing so negates my Vector Plates, since he can change direction each time he touches the ground. Clever.'_

"But not clever enough!" Medusa cried as she moved forward on her snake tail. Easily matching his speed, she lashed out with her foot, hoping to catch him off-guard. Naruto evaded the attack with remarkable flexibility and tried to lash out with a hand-claw.

Medusa avoided this and retreated from him. She swung her hands and three Vector Arrows shot forward to try and run him through. "Not again!" Naruto said as he jumped into the air and performed a Spiraling Claw.

As he landed Medusa shot forward and sank her elbow into his gut. "Take this!" The blind buki was sent skidding back on his feet while Medusa simply floated back to her original position. 'She has no openings and I can't knock her off-balance.'

Naruto was running out of tricks and Medusa remained unfazed. _'I have to do something.'_ He felt the madness beginning to engulf him. _'Damn it, Asura. I don't need this right now.'_ His head bowed as he tried to resist the waves of madness.

"Come with me, Naruto-kun." He would have laughed if the situation weren't so dire. "I mean it. I know how hard it is for you to resist the madness. Even now, your soul is slowly being suffocated." Medusa's face almost looked kind.

"You struggle so hard, but you know it as well as I do; Asura _will_ be awakened. You can't stop it and neither can your students. Let yourself be freed by insanity. Come with me and I will show you a world where you never have to fight again." He looked up at her.

"Yes, I know how you wish to live in peace. You're tired of battle; even now you don't put your full strength into fighting me." Medusa shook her head sadly at him. "I will show you a world without order, without the need to wallow in fear as you desperately try to remain in control of your thoughts."

"When Asura awakens, the world will change. Come with me, and I will give you the peace you crave. In madness, all your doubts will be erased, and you can live however you choose." She held out her hand.

Naruto pondered her words. _'To live in a world without fear and doubt…to never have to hide myself away to prevent others from being 'infected' by my soul wavelength's madness. It sounds like a paradise….'_

"'However I choose', right?" Medusa studied her prey. "That's right. However you choose." "Well, then." Naruto's wavelength became visible. "I choose…my way!" Medusa blinked and he was in front of her, right hand transformed into a blade aimed at her head.

"Do you know what they used to call me as a child!?" Naruto swung downward and Medusa leaped back to put some distance between them. "They called me a demon, a monster!" He held up his left hand and transformed it into a spike that shot out to pierce Medusa's heart.

"I ignored them, hoping that things would change, that they would see that they were wrong!" Medusa flipped over the spike, but Naruto had already extended the spikes on his feet and vaulted towards her again.

"I thought, 'It's alright. I would show them that I wasn't really a monster,' but you know what!?" As Naruto sped towards Medusa, he began spinning his body into a Spiraling Claw. She had to use her snake tail to dodge to the side. "At the end of it all, just when I was about to die…"

Naruto leaped over a Vector Arrow and slammed his fists into where Medusa's body had just been, leaving a crater. "I proved them right! I became a monster, just like they said!" The waves of madness emanating from the Kishin's shrine turned into a tidal wave.

In some small corner of Naruto's mind, he realized that Asura had been revived. His former students had failed. Medusa also realized this and her eyes glanced briefly down the hall. An immense pain in her chest had her looking back at Naruto.

"I came here to teach youngsters, not fight witches and the Kishin." He sighed as the snake witch eyed the spike impaling her stomach. "When I realized I had to fight, after I had sworn never to kill again, I hardened my heart. I didn't want to remember how much of a monster I used to be."

His arm twitched, and smaller protrusions shot out from the spike in her stomach, digging away at her body. "Erupting Thorns." Blood gushed from her mouth and began flowing from the arm embedded in her body. "I really was tempted, Medusa. Unfortunately for you, I _really_ hate snakes."

He ripped his arm out and Medusa's body was torn in half. Blood began spewing out of the two halves of her body and she looked up at him with an unreadable expression on her face. He looked down at her sadly. "I won…because of the Kishin."

Naruto looked as his blood-soaked arm and grinned. He felt whispers in his mind. Thoughts and feelings he had kept hidden inside himself, never to be released. The madness he had experienced in Europe years ago was welling up inside him.

"And it feels wonderful!" Anyone in the vicinity of Naruto and Medusa's battle would hear laughter echoing through the halls.

**A/N: There you go readers. The end of Medusa and Naruto's descent into madness. I'm not sure if parts of the fight scene would constitute a rating change to M, but for now the story remains at T.**

**Rejoice, Arachne/Naruto voters! Her introduction into the story is fast approaching.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Naruto's Apartment:

Marie closed the apartment door behind her. A shadowy figure sitting in the corner of the living room startled her until she realized it was her friend. "You should really turn on some lights, Naruto-kun."

Naruto didn't respond and she sighed as she left the lights off in favor of sitting down beside him. "The meeting went well, though we missed you there." She looked pensive for a moment. _'Shinigami-sama was right to be worried; when I think of how Naruto-kun's condition when we found him, I just….'_

Flashback:

Death Room, Shibusen:

"Marie-chan, a moment please." Marie paused while the other Deathscythes and Stein walked out. "Yes, Shinigami-sama?" The Reaper collected his thoughts for a moment.

"I noticed Naruto-kun didn't show up for the meeting." Marie nodded solemnly. "Yes, he doesn't leave his apartment anymore. Tsubaki-chan and Soul-kun have visited, but he won't see them."

Marie bowed her head. "Forgive me, Shinigami-sama. I failed to protect Naruto-kun and because of that he…" The Reaper put up his hand. "No need. You did your best. We were caught off guard by Medusa and her group."

Marie looked like she was about to cry. "You saw him, though! It took Stein-kun, Spirit-kun, and Sid-kun to restrain him long enough for me to touch him!" Shinigami put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Marie-chan. Naruto-kun's condition has worsened with Asura free, but with your help, he will recover. Stein-kun wasn't exposed to the wavelength of madness at such a close range, so Spirit-kun is watching him. Naruto-kun, on the other hand, was nearly consumed by it."

He sighed. "Things will be very difficult for Naruto-kun, but he will heal." The Reaper turned to his mirror. "Do you know why Naruto-kun's apartment is so far from Shibusen? All the way across the city?" Marie shook her head.

"It's because even before I told him, he was unconsciously aware of Asura's presence beneath the school. Naruto-kun has spent most of his life trying to avoid conflict. Were it not for us here at Shibusen, he would be content to live his life in peace."

The Reaper shook his head sadly. "I had expected this might happen, but I don't like being right. From the moment he entered Death City, he has been quietly fighting a battle in his soul. Naruto-kun's reaction to the wavelength of madness is just an obvious symptom of this inner turmoil."

He turned back to Marie. "Marie-chan, you have to keep Naruto-kun sane. If he were to succumb to the madness, I'm not sure what could happen. Remember: he faced Medusa alone, without a meister."

'_I don't want to believe it, but it may be too late for Naruto-kun, even with Marie-chan's presence. I hope I'm wrong.'_

Flashback End:

Marie awkwardly hugged Naruto as they sat together on the floor. "I'll help you through this, Naruto-kun. We all will. Don't shut us out."

A spider hung in its web positioned high up in a corner of the apartment.

**A/N: Well, here comes another poll. This one is very important, as is determines where the story goes from here on out. Check my profile and vote.**

**And while you're at it, send some more reviews my way. Saying this chapter is 'awesome' is…well, awesome to see, but I was hoping for some more constructive criticism. Come on. I can take it!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Death City:

Naruto was laying on his bed, deep in thought. The past few days had been rough on him, but with Marie's help, he was learning to deal with Asura's wavelength of madness. _'Azusa-chan is still antagonizing poor Spirit-kun. He feels guilty letting Asura escape.'_

Naruto could understand why he felt that way, even if it was wrong. The Kishin had fired Vajra at the civilian populace, forcing the Reaper to block the attack while Asura moved beyond Shinigami's soul wavelength.

Recently, Naruto had been dwelling on his past. The long years since he had been brought to this world had been filled with both strife and peace. _'I was desperately trying to control my abilities as a buki when Shinigami-sama asked me to come to Shibusen for the first time.'_ He smiled.

'_After I ran from him the first time we met, I remember feeling a strange wavelength.' _The memory was faded with time, difficult to recall, but Naruto searched for it. _'It was a witch's wavelength, but…'_

That feeling he had when faced with Medusa's soul wavelength had returned, but there was a subtle change, a distinctive flavor that drew him in. He reveled in the memory, how it melded with his wavelength, not trying to overcome his senses, but to expand them.

The feelings became clearer, almost like he was experiencing it again. What Naruto didn't know was that, hundreds of miles away in the Czech Republic, in Loew Village, Maka Albarn and Crona were watching a woman emerge from a mass of spiders.

Back in Death City, Naruto twitched. "This wavelength…it's the same as before." The urge to meet this soul was overpowering; he wanted to bask in this feeling forever! Naruto stood up and walked out the door. He would find that soul and never leave.

Marie would come back that evening to an empty apartment, search for Naruto, then rush to inform the Reaper.

Deep in the Amazon Rainforest:

Arachne sat on her web within Baba Yaga's Castle, looking down at Giriko and her troops. "I've hired some new backup." Giriko snarled at this. "Backup!?" Arachne just stared down at him.

"He's already a living legend. He's known as the Lord of Blades." Giriko's face turned solemn. "It's good that he's on our side." "Humans with weaknesses are so easy to control." Arachne seemed to pause for a moment.

"Someone has found us, Giriko. Deal with the intruder." The chainsaw buki let an insane grin cross his face. "Finally, I was itching to let loose." He sprinted down the hall.

Arachne watched him go, idly examining the intruder's soul wavelength. _'I've felt this wavelength before.'_ She shrugged inwardly and smiled. _'Giriko is outmatched this time.'_

She turned to her assembled troops. "Mosquito should be sending a report soon on the Moral Manipulation Machine. If anything should happen, alert me. I will be retiring for the day." Her loyal minions watched her vanish and turned to each other.

Outside Arachnophobia's Base:

Giriko eyed the intruder standing before him. Some weird mask covered his face, and he didn't even look that tough. _'I probably won't even get to second gear. Tch. Waste of my time.'_ He nearly missed seeing the intruder rush forward.

"Shit, you're fast!" He backed away from the swift punch the intruder threw at him, but had to dodge again when the masked man used him momentum from the missed punch to flip over and try to land a heel-drop on Giriko.

The chainsaw buki watched as a crater formed underneath the intruder's foot. "Strong, too, what's your name, bastard?" The intruder stood up from his failed attack. "Naruto." Giriko laughed. "Just Naruto, eh? Alright then."

He lifted his leg and unleashed his chainsaw blades. "Let's go!" Naruto crouched down as Giriko leaped at him. "Don't act scared now, Naruto!" He grinned as he slammed his chainsaw leg into Naruto.

"What!?" Naruto's arm had transformed into a long spike, blocking his chainsaw blades. Sparks flew between them as Naruto held off Giriko with one arm. "Damn it! You're a buki?" Naruto grinned as he removed his mask.

"Erupting Thorns!" Giriko kicked off of Naruto when he saw smaller spikes lancing out from his transformed arm. "Man, that would've hurt. You aren't half bad. I guess I can go to second gear after all!" The chainsaw blades on his leg began spinning faster,

Naruto suddenly sank into the ground. Giriko stared for a moment, then cursed. "You bastard! I thought you were going to fight me! Don't run away now!" A cracking noise was all the warning he had as a long spike shot up beneath him.

Giriko managed to flip back before it skewered him, but a slight pain let him know he wasn't completely successful. Naruto crawled out of the earth, his arm transforming back. "You're a real sneaky bastard, you know that?" Giriko spouted as he felt the cut on his chin.

Naruto laughed at the comment. "I'm just getting started, chainsaw boy!" He could tell Giriko was irritated by this comment, but Naruto didn't care. He felt so free! The wavelength he was looking for surrounded him, melding with his and settling it.

Naruto had always had difficulty calming his wavelength, but resonating with this soul made him feel alive. He didn't have to worry about being unstable; the beautiful soul wavelength around him seemed to connect with his on so many levels.

Naruto was so focused on these feelings he was nearly beheaded by Giriko's chain leg. "Playing around with you is fun, but I'm still looking for something. I'll play later." He had to find the source of this wavelength, this soul that gave him a feeling of rapture.

He moved away from the protesting chainsaw buki and was about to go underground when a voice stopped him. "Are you looking for me, Naruto-kun?" That voice came from right behind him!

He turned swiftly, his hand already transformed into a blade, and froze. "A Goddess…" He whispered before being rendered mute by the sight before him. The woman standing before him tittered behind her fan. "I've never been called that before."

Arachne, eldest of the Gorgon sisters, looked down at him and Naruto's knees buckled and a serene smile crossed his face. _'Finally, I have found true peace.'_

Death City, Shibusen:

Shinigami, Stein, and Marie stood together in the Death Room. "Marie-chan, I want you to be Stein-kun's partner from now on. You and he will continue to teach the students about Chain Resonance."

Marie looked like she wanted to say something, but kept her mouth shut. The Reaper sighed. "I know you're worried about Naruto-kun, but we simply don't know where he is. I can't afford to send anyone out to look for him until the situation with Arachnophobia is dealt with."

Stein put his hand on Marie's shoulder. "Naruto-san can take care of himself. Don't worry; we'll find him."

The Reaper nodded, but his thoughts were uneasy. _'Naruto-kun vanished about the same time Arachne was awakened. Given his current state, her wavelength could easily overwhelm him and drive him to madness.'_

He looked at Marie and Stein, Naruto's closest friends at Shibusen. _'I hope I'm wrong about this, but we may end up facing Naruto-kun in battle. I don't think Marie-chan could handle it if she had to fight him.'_

At that moment, Sid, Nygus, and Azusa were sabotaging the Arachnophobia research facility. Mosquito had just finished draining one of his men and was leading Angela away from the destruction.

'_I sense something has happened with Arachne-sama. Could it be that the one she was waiting for has arrived?'_ He smirked at that thought. _'With _him_ on our side, my mistress' desires will be at last fulfilled.'_

Mosquito was saddened by the destruction of the facility and resolved to beg forgiveness for his mistake. His mistress could be forgiving, depending on her mood. "And if he has come, then she will be very pleased, indeed."

**A/N: Some of you have most likely noticed how Naruto's fight with Medusa was essentially the same as Stein's only with a new paint job. In fact, so far I haven't really changed the general storyline from the anime. Well no more!**

**From here on out, things are going to start changing. I know Giriko and Naruto's fight was cut off, but don't worry, I'll finish it eventually.**

**If any of you wonder why Naruto is acting so strange when he meets Arachne, it's because his soul wavelength has always been unstable. Marie helped keep him sane, but her wavelength wasn't enough to completely calm his own, especially with Asura sealed beneath Shibusen and Medusa appearing.**

**Arachne's soul wavelength interacts with Naruto's on a different level entirely. To him, it doesn't bring true madness, but freedom. He doesn't feel the constant struggle within his soul. Arachne's wavelength is essentially in constant resonance with his own, making her wavelength the dominant one that blocks out all others, even Asura's.**

**That being the case, Arachne is salvation to Naruto, an eternal solution to his difficulties that he must protect at all costs.**

**Once again, this follows the anime, so if you've read the manga, sorry if things don't make much sense.**


	12. Chapter 12 Discontinued

Discontinued: Sorry guys, but I'm giving up on writing fanfiction. I just can't seem to get inspiration for it anymore. With school and everything, I just don't think I can give it the attention it deserves.

If any of you want to continue these, please PM me.


	13. Chapter 13 Scratch That

I have decided after some thought and encouragement from The Twilight Sage, to continue Snake Bite and Spider's Web. I promise to complete these stories, but updates will not be frequent due to my increased school work load. Sorry.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 12:

Baba Yaga's Castle:

Naruto strolled down the hallway towards the dining room. Arachne, Giriko, and Mosquito were already there. Mosquito was bowing to his mistress. "Forgive me, Arachne-sama, for my blunder. It will never happen again."

Arachne filled a glass with wine for him. "Do not let it happen again. Do you need more blood, Mosquito-kun?" He raised his glass to her, then drained it. Giriko took a swig from his beer.

"What good are you if you screw up like this?" Mosquito turned to the chainsaw buki. "No need to make a fuss, filthy chainsaw boy." Giriko slammed his transformed leg into the table, cutting it in half.

"How 'bout I sharpen my saw blades on you then, eh?" Mosquito flipped over the table to stand in front of Giriko. "Indeed. I'll drain you dry and leave you a husk on the floor!" His needle-like nose extended.

"Polis Stinger!" His body began spinning around like a top; only his head and hat remained visible. He flew up into the air and circled around. Giriko turned in his chair and raised his chain leg. Mosquito dived down to attack.

Right before they connected a certain masked buki appeared between them. He transformed his arms into spikes and blocked both attacks.

"Does this happen a lot, Arachne-sama?" Naruto said calmly while he held back Mosquito and Giriko. "Naruto-kun, how are you?" Arachne questioned with a smile on her face. As the two combatants settled down, Naruto moved over to the wall.

"Enjoying myself, really." And he had been. The castle itself didn't appeal to him very much, but being in Arachne's presence more than made up for it. They often discussed how the world changed in 800 years, he living through them, she observing everything through her spiders.

Naruto had bonded with the other members of Arachne's group. Mosquito had been surprised at how observant and polite Naruto was, and the buki was impressed by the loyalty shown to their mistress.

Giriko was another story. They hadn't been able to finish their fight, but something seemed to bother the chainsaw buki. Privately, Naruto thought Giriko was upset that he wasn't the only independent buki, with Justin Law and Naruto both rivaling his abilities.

Naruto got along with the troops well enough; he didn't exactly try to get to know them, but he treated them well and was polite to them.

The cry of one of his subordinates drew him out of his thoughts. "Arachne-sama!" The spider witch turned. "What is it?" The cloaked figure bowed. "Someone here to see you, Arachne-sama."

Giriko snorted and returned to his seat. "Some other time, eh?"

In Arachne's Throne Room:

Naruto watched from the shadows as a small blond girl approached his mistress. The madness swirling around him was familiar. _'So she survived after all.'_

"My, my. Such an adorable form you have now, Medusa." Arachne stared down at the form of her sister with a smirk. Medusa smiled innocently up at her elder sibling. "I'm so glad you remember me, even after 800 years."

Naruto focused on ignoring Medusa's madness, immersing himself in the soul wavelength of his mistress. Being so close to two distinct souls was somewhat taxing, but he could manage. He turned his attention back to the conversation between sister witches.

"800 years ago, when I fought the Reaper, I recall someone betraying me at the very end." Naruto narrowed his sightless eyes at the snake witch. _'She's dead.'_

"You think you can just show up and leave with no consequence?" Medusa smiled up at the spider witch. "Don't be silly! We should be friends! Both of us sisters were just revived, after all."

Naruto had had enough. He stepped forward, noticing Giriko, Mifune, and Mosquito arrayed around Medusa. She frowned as he approached. _'He joined Arachne, but refused me?'_

"Naruto-kun. It's been a while." She looked back at Arachne. "How wonderful for you, sister, to have Naruto-kun at your side." Arachne glared at Medusa but said nothing.

Medusa pulled up the hood of her jacket and walked back the way she had come. As she passed Naruto she paused and looked up at him.

As she stared she examined his soul. The shifting patterns she had seen back in Shibusen had disappeared. Instead, an overlay of purple lines resembling a spider's web covered the sphere's surface. Every once in a while arrow marks would appear, only to quickly fade away.

"My offer still stands, Naruto-kun." He didn't even respond, his mouth set in a grim line. She turned back to her sister. "I'll see you soon, dear sister." She began walking again. As a cloaked member of Arachnophobia led her away Naruto looked up at Arachne.

"Should we let her go, Arachne-sama?"

Arachnophobia Entrance:

After Medusa gave Eruka Frog her orders, she flew away on her borrowed broom. As she flew toward Death City she pondered her sister's newest companion. _'Naruto has left Shibusen and Shinigami, then. This will be to my advantage in retrieving Crona.'_

She scowled. _'When this is over, you will be mine, Naruto-kun. My sister can't give you what I can.'_

**A/N: Well, here is the next chapter in my story. I'll try to get these out in a timely manner, but be patient.**

**Also, for a description of Naruto's soul look back at Chapter 9.**


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